Chapter 1258: There's More to It

Zhao Fusheng held respect in his heart for that senior he had never met.

Kahlil Gibran once despised his own soul seven times: the first time, when it could have striven but pretended to be humble.

The second time, when it was empty, it filled itself with lust.

The third time, between difficulty and ease, it chose ease.

The fourth time, it committed a fault but comforted itself by saying others also commit faults.

The fifth time, it was weak and soft but considered it the resilience of life.

The sixth time, when it scorned an ugly face, it did not know that it was one of its own masks.

The seventh time, it sidled through the mire of life, though unwilling, yet hesitant.

For idealists, being able to do what they love is undoubtedly very happy. Wang Zhen was like that now, and I believe that senior from before must have been the same.

Zhao Fusheng respected them, but that didn't mean he intended to do the same.

Ever since he came into this world anew, Zhao Fusheng had no intention of entrusting his fate to anyone, not even the King of Heaven.

One can be open-minded and kind, but in any case, one must cherish one's own life. If you want to accomplish anything or achieve fame and success, not protecting your life is a huge mistake.

Zhao Fusheng would never live like Picasso—impoverished in life, famous only after death. That kind of life is hardly a happy one. One can struggle for ideals, but if you lose your life, in Zhao Fusheng's view, it's better to live a stable life. Having billions is not as important as living well.

Just like a certain wealthy man surnamed Wang in Hong Kong, who would split a mooncake in half for his employees, earning tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars, only to be kidnapped and die without a trace.

Now Zhao Fusheng was curious about what Wang Zhen wanted to tell him.

"Half a year ago, the senior took students into the mountains to gather herbs and got separated from them. After he returned, he was worried and anxious, and I don't know what happened." Wang Zhen said bitterly to Zhao Fusheng. "I happened to go home at that time and wasn't here. By the time I came back, he had already had an accident."

Zhao Fusheng frowned. "An accident?"

Wang Zhen nodded. "Yes. They said he went out alone at night and accidentally fell off a mountain path."

"So coincidental?" Zhao Fusheng didn't believe it and questioned.

In his view, how could a young man who grew up in a big city go to the edge of a cliff in the middle of the night for no reason? Even if he was in a bad mood, such a thing wouldn't happen.

As for accidentally falling off a cliff, Zhao Fusheng found it hard to believe no matter how he thought about it.

"Yeah, you think it's impossible too, right?" Wang Zhen sighed. "But the public security bureau in our county believed it and quickly closed the case. Not only that, when I came, the villagers told me that after the senior died, someone saw lights here in the middle of the night. When they rushed over, they found the senior's belongings ransacked, and his diary was missing."

"How do you know?" Zhao Fusheng was startled and asked in surprise.

"When we came from home together before, I saw him writing in his diary at the hotel at night. I asked him, and he told me he had kept a diary since childhood." Wang Zhen explained to Zhao Fusheng.

"And then? The diary was lost?" Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised.

Wang Zhen hummed in agreement. "I checked. Even his phone wasn't lost, and his wallet was still there. Only the diary was missing."

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng's brow furrowed deeply.

Clearly, there was something wrong.

Anything out of the ordinary is suspicious. If such a situation occurs, there must be a problem.

As Wang Zhen said, if the senior's death was really an accident, why would someone search his room in the middle of the night and specifically take his diary?

Obviously, there was something fishy.

"Have you found any clues?" Zhao Fusheng asked Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen was silent for a long time, as if hesitating.

"Why can't you tell me? Spit it out if you have something to say." Zhao Fusheng, seeing him silent, shouted impatiently. "I'm somewhat influential now; even if something happens, I can handle it. Besides, the senior is the pride of our Ninghai Normal University. If it was really an accident, fine. But if he was killed for no reason, we can't let him die in vain."

This was his true thought. Although he had never met that senior and only remembered seeing him once, and didn't quite agree with his approach, that didn't stop Zhao Fusheng from respecting him.

A good person, one who willingly dedicated himself to rural education, died so inexplicably. Zhao Fusheng's bottom line couldn't accept that.

As for Wang Zhen, he wasn't so polite. Their relationship was such that there was no need to hide anything.

Wang Zhen might be worried about causing trouble for Zhao Fusheng, but Zhao Fusheng didn't care at all. For him, if he had the chance to do good without affecting himself, he wouldn't hesitate to show kindness.

Of course, the premise was that this matter wouldn't cause him any problems.

For example, if someone had murdered the senior, Zhao Fusheng would find a way to deal with it, like investigating the murderer, but he wouldn't do it himself; he would use connections to handle it. But if getting involved might endanger his life, Zhao Fusheng would leave without a second word.

Just like that, following his heart.

Except for his family, no one was worth dying for.

Maybe that sounds politically incorrect, but Zhao Fusheng really didn't want to become a hero one day, leaving his parents and wife in tears. That would be irresponsible to life.

Wang Zhen was silent for a long time. Just as Zhao Fusheng was about to lose patience, he slowly spoke: "After I arrived here, I heard from the villagers that there are often explosions in the mountains. And I always feel like someone is spying on this place. So I suspect there's some secret in the nearby mountains. Maybe the senior stumbled upon it and was silenced."

Zhao Fusheng was stunned. Although it sounded a bit far-fetched, even whimsical, thinking it over, it was possible.

"In that case, I'll arrange for someone to investigate later." Zhao Fusheng said casually.

Wang Zhen was immediately exasperated and quickly said, "If you send people to investigate, what if you alert the enemy? Besides, since those people managed to kill the senior, can you be sure how many of them there are?"

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng was taken aback for a moment, then understood.

He had to admit, Wang Zhen's consideration made some sense.

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng blinked and began to hesitate.

Both of them had things on their minds that night, so when they got up the next morning, they both had dark circles under their eyes.

"Something up?"

Just as he was about to have breakfast, Zhao Fusheng saw Zhang Qian give him a wink. He stood up, walked to the door, and asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian nodded. "Last night we discovered someone monitoring this place."

What!

Zhao Fusheng was stunned and looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Zhang Qian, seeing no one around, said in a low voice, "Since we're new here, we set up covert posts. We found that someone nearby is monitoring us, and not just one person—two, one in the open and one in the shadows."

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng believed Wang Zhen's words from last night a bit more. It seemed Wang Zhen wasn't lying; someone was indeed secretly spying on or watching this place.

The problem now was how to find these people and uncover their background.

"What do you think the monitors are up to?" Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian shook his head. "I checked the traces. They look like people who have served in the military, with strong counter-surveillance awareness. Unless someone is familiar with the area or has reconnaissance experience, it would be hard to spot them."

"Is it possible to follow them without alerting them?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Qian, then added, "Provided our people don't get hurt."

"It's not easy."

Zhang Qian didn't hide anything from Zhao Fusheng and said seriously, "Since they've been monitoring this place, there might be an informant in the village. They probably already know we're here and have stepped up their guard. If we act rashly, we'll definitely alert them."

He was an expert in this field. Since he said so, Zhao Fusheng knew that investigating the other party without making a sound would be difficult.

Telling Zhang Qian to be cautious, Zhao Fusheng returned to the room and told Wang Zhen about the situation. Finally, he said, "In that case, I think you might not be able to stay here."

He was worried that the group secretly watching might harm Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen shook his head. "I don't think so. No one knows why I called you here. Maybe they won't touch me."

He paused, stroked his wooden bed, and smiled. "I've gotten used to living here. I'm a bit reluctant to leave those children. Their parents have been poor all their lives. I think if I can teach them more knowledge, maybe these children's fates can change."

Zhao Fusheng frowned deeply. He knew that stubborn streak of Wang Zhen's had flared up again.

But since that was the case, he would have to think of a way to help this old classmate and friend.